History

“Sanibel and Captiva formed one island about 6,000 years ago. The first known humans in the area were the Calusa, who arrived about 2,500 years ago.[8] The Calusa were a

Lake Palms 1 – Sanibel Vacation Rentals.

powerful Indian nation who came to dominate most of Southwest Florida through trade via their elaborate system of canals and waterways. Sanibel remained an important Calusa settlement until the collapse of their empire, soon after the arrival of the Europeans.

In 1765, the first known appearance of a harbor on Sanibel is shown on a map as Puerto de S. Nibel (the “v” and “b” being interchangeable); thus, the name may have evolved from “San Nibel”. Alternatively, the name may derive, as many believe, from “(Santa) Ybel”, which survives in the old placename “Point Ybel”, where the Sanibel Island Light is located. How it would have gotten this name, however, is a matter of conjecture. One story says it was named by Juan Ponce de León for Queen Isabella I of Castile; the island may indeed be named for this queen or the saint whose name she shares, either by Ponce de León or someone later. Another attributes the name to Roderigo Lopez, the first mate of José Gaspar (Gasparilla), after his beautiful lover Sanibel whom he had left behind in Spain. Like most of the lore surrounding Gasparilla, however, this story is apocryphal, as the above references to recognizable variants of the name predate the buccaneer’s supposed reign.

Sanibel is not the only island in the area to figure prominently in the legends of Gaspar; Captiva, Useppa, and Gasparilla are also connected. Sanibel also appears in another tale, this one involving Gaspar’s ally-turned-rival Black Caesar, said to have been a former Haitian slave who escaped during the Haitian Revolution to become a pirate. According to folklore, Black Caesar came to the Gulf of Mexico during the War of 1812 to avoid interference from the British. In the Gulf, he befriended Gasparilla, who allowed him to establish himself on Sanibel Island. Eventually, the old Spaniard discovered Caesar had been stealing from him and chased him off, but not before his loot had been buried.

Legendary pirates’ dens aside, the first modern settlement on Sanibel (then spelled “Sanybel”) was established by the Florida Peninsular Land Company in 1832. The colony never took off and was abandoned by 1849. It was this first group that initially petitioned for a lighthouse on the island. The island was re-populated after the implementation of the Homestead Act in 1862, and again a lighthouse was petitioned. Construction on the Sanibel Island Lighthouse was completed in 1884,[9] but the community remained small. In May 1963 a causeway linking Sanibel and Captiva to the mainland was opened, resulting in an explosion of growth. The City of Sanibel passed new restrictions on development after it was incorporated; these were challenged by developers, to no avail. Currently the only buildings on the island taller than two stories date before 1974, and there are no fast food or chain restaurants allowed on the island except a Dairy Queen and a Subway, which were on the island before the laws were enacted. A new causeway was completed in 2007; it replaced the worn out 1963 spans, which were not designed to carry heavy loads or large numbers of vehicles. The new bridge features a “flyover” span tall enough for sailboats to pass under, replacing the old bridge’s bascule drawbridge span. The original bridge was demolished and its remains were sunk into the water to create artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico.[10]

The main town is located on the eastern end of the island. The city was formed in 1974,[1] as a direct result of the main causeway being built in 1963 to replace the ferry and the rampant construction and development that occurred afterward. Developers sued over the new restrictions, but the city and citizens prevailed in their quest to protect the island. The only buildings above two to three stories now on the barrier island were built during that period.

The city is on Gulf coast of Southwest Florida and is linked to the mainland by the Sanibel Causeway. A short bridge over Blind Pass links Sanibel to Captiva Island. More than half of the two islands are preserved in its natural state as wildlife refuges. Visitors can drive, walk, bike, or kayak through the J. N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge [11] The island’s most famous landmark, the Sanibel Lighthouse, is located at the eastern end of the island, adjacent to the fishing pier. The main thoroughfare, Periwinkle Way, is where the majority of stores and restaurants are located, while the Gulf Drives (East, Middle, and West) play host to most of the accommodations.

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, has also been a key player in helping to curb uncontrolled commercial growth and development on the island. Since 1967, SCCF has been dedicated to the preservation of natural resources on and around

Sanibel and Captiva and has led efforts to acquire and preserve environmentally sensitive land on the islands including critical wildlife habitats, rare and unique subtropical plant communities, tidal wetlands, and freshwater wetlands along the Sanibel River.[12]

The city’s best-known resident is former CIADirectorPorter Goss, who spearheaded the island’s incorporation, became its first mayor, and represented the area in Congress from 1989 until his appointment as CIA Director in 2004.

Geography

Sanibel is located at 26°26′23″N82°4′50″W (26.439608, -82.080456).[13] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 33.16 square miles (85.9 km2), of which 17.21 square miles (44.6 km2) is land and 15.96 square miles (41.3 km2) (48.13%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,469 people, 3,359 households, and 2,273 families residing in the city. The population density was 375.9 per square mile (145.1/km²). There were

The median income for a household in the city was $97,788, and the median income for a family was $138,194. Males had a median income of $80,152 versus $45,458 for females. The per capita income for the city was $79,742. About 3.6% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, with 21.3% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.[15]

Wildlife refuges

Preserving the island’s natural ecology has always been important to its citizens and visitors alike. A driving force in the preservation of the island is the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation which was founded in 1967 with a mission to “preserve natural resources and wildlife habitat on and around the islands of Sanibel and Captiva.”[19] 1,300 acres (5.3 km2) of land on Sanibel are under the supervision of the Foundation; included in this land there is a “Marine Laboratory which actively conducts research in areas including seagrasses, mangroves, harmful algal blooms, fish populations and shellfish restoration.”[20] Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation also has a project called RECON (River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network) which includes a “network of eight in-water sensors that provide real-time, hourly readings of key water quality parameters.”[20] The foundation also serves to protect the wildlife on the island and has a variety of education programs designed to instruct people about the island’s unique ecology.

The biggest wildlife refuge on the island is the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Covering more than 5,200 acres (21 km2) of land, the refuge strives to ensure that these lands are “preserved, restored and maintained as a haven for indigenous and migratory wildlife as

part of a nation-wide network of Refuges administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service” The lands also serve to provide a home for many endangered and threatened species.[21] Currently, the refuge provides a home for over 220 species of birds native to the island.[22] Visitors to the refuge can walk, bike, drive, or kayak through the wildlife drive which takes you through five miles (8.0 kilometers) of mangrove tree forests and tidal flats, this drive is perfect for watching the island’s wildlife and looking at the island’s native vegetation. To show that preserving the wildlife really is important, the drive is closed one day every week, Friday, so that the wildlife can have a day to themselves where they can scavenge for food closer to the drive and not have to be bothered by or fearful of humans. There is also an education center which features “interactive exhibits on refuge ecosystems, the life and work of “Ding” Darling, migratory flyways, and the National Wildlife Refuge System.”[23]

Beaches and Seashells

Sanibel beaches attract visitors from all around the world, partly because of the large quantities of seashells that frequently wash up there. Many sand dollars can be found as well.

Sanibel Vacation Rentals: Shelling & Snorkeling.

One of the reasons for these large accumulations of shells is the fact that Sanibel is a barrier island which is “part of a large plateau that extends out into the Gulf of Mexico for miles. It is this plateau that acts like a shelf for seashells to gather.” Sanibel also has an “east-west orientation when most islands are north-south. Hence, the island is gifted with great sandy beaches and an abundance of shells.”[24]

People who are lucky enough to find the elegant brown-spotted shell of a Junonia on a Sanibel beach often get their picture in the local newspapers. Junonia volutes are reasonably common living in deep water, but they only rarely wash up; a beach find of a whole shell is greatly prized.

Junonia shells can be purchased at local shell shops or can be seen on display in the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, in some of the glass display tables at the Sanibel Cafe, or at the Sanibel Shell Fair in early March.

Throughout the year, many people come to the beaches of Sanibel to gather shells. People are often seen bending down as they look for seashells, and this posture is known as the “Sanibel Stoop.”[25] There are beaches almost all around the island. There are even beaches along the Sanibel Causeway and these are great for fishing and windsurfing. However, beach parking on Sanibel itself is very limited, and in high season finding a convenient parking space can be a challenge.

Lighthouse Beach is named after the famous Sanibel Lighthouse, which includes a popular fishing pier and nature trails. The most secluded beach on the island is Bowman’s Beach; there are no hotels in sight and the beach has a “pristine and quiet” atmosphere.[24]

Climate

Sanibel Island, located in southern Florida, has a climate that is “subtropical and humid” with daily high temperatures ranging from 75 °F (24 °C) in midwinter to around 90 °F (32 °C) in the summer.[26]

Sanibel Vacation Rentals: Big Dolphin, Blind Pass, Jumping The Wake.

The months of January through April (peak tourist season on the island) have the coolest temperatures, ranging from 75 °F (24 °C) during the day to a cool 55 °F (13 °C) at night, and there is very little rainfall on the island during those months.[27] The summer heat and humidity on the island, which has been recorded as high as 100 °F (38 °C), is cooled by the ocean sea breezes from the Gulf of Mexico, and by almost daily afternoon and evening rain showers, which are responsible for much of the island’s rainfall. June is when the Island gets most of its rainfall.[26] The area is prone to be hit by tropical cyclones and hurricanes; the hurricane season starts in June, but most of the activity occurs in September and October. However, local communities have “adapted to cope with these occasional storm threats.”[28]

Sanibel Vacation Rentals: Hurricane Charley, August 2004

[Sanibel & Captiva were] “seriously damaged in August 2004 when the eastern eyewall of Hurricane Charley struck North Captiva, immediately before hitting Charlotte Harbor to the north-northeast.

Initial reports indicated that 160 buildings were destroyed and another 160 seriously damaged. Reports indicate that the storm surge cut a path 491 yards (449 m) wide across the narrowest part of North Captiva, separating the island. The separation of the two halves of the island began three years earlier during a series of tornadoes caused by Tropical Storm Gabrielle that passed through the area in September 2001.[3]

The new pass filled in within a few years and is now back to its pre-Charley state. Most of the invasive Australian pines on the island blew over in the hurricane, making room for native mangroves and sabal palms.”

Captiva Vacation Rentals: Hurricane Irma, September 2017

Sanibel & Captiva Islands escaped Hurricane Irma largely unscathed.

Sanibel Vacation Rentals: Snook Fishing, Catch Release.

There was some tree damage and a lot of foliage cleanup post the storm, but the storm shifted east after Hurricane Irma’s “second landfall was made, as a Category 3 hurricane, at Marco Island at 3:35 pm. EDT [on September 10, 2017].[239]

A 7 ft (2.1 m) storm surge occurred in Naples, which Irma passed over as a Category 2 hurricane after being downgraded at 5 pm. EDT.[240][241][242]